Former middle school principal appears in court

Related Media

The former Windsor Middle School principal accused of assaulting his wife will return to court in January to face the charges against him.

Doug Englert, who resigned last week from his 18-year stint as principal of the middle school, was arrested Nov. 8 on suspicion of punching his wife during an argument police said took place two days earlier.

Englert appeared in Weld District Court on Tuesday for an advisement hearing, which his attorney, Brandon Booth, waived. They will return to court at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 17 for a disposition hearing, at which time attorneys will have discussed possible plea bargains, or whether Englert will fight the charges and take the case to trial.

Englert, 56, faces one count of felony second-degree assault, and one misdemeanor count of harassment. Both charges are designated as domestic-violence related.

An arrest affidavit states that Englert is accused of punching his wife three times in the abdomen during an altercation in their Windsor home, leaving her with a broken rib. Police say the couple’s son was in the home at the time, but he was not injured.

Englert’s wife told police he has been physically abusive before, according to the affidavit. She said the two were arguing about who was supposed to pick up their son from a friend’s house. She said she punched Englert when he became aggressive and shoved her against the wall in the laundry room. She said he then punched her three times.

Englert told police he did punch his wife, according to the affidavit, only because she hit him first. He told police he wasn’t sure if he punched her in self defense.

Englert was placed on paid administrative leave following his arrest. As a result of his resignation and retirement, Englert will no longer be paid by the school district. Englert made a base salary of $110,208. Before coming to Windsor, Englert was the assistant principal at Fort Lupton Middle School.

During his court hearing on Tuesday, Englert sought to modify the conditions of a personal recognizance bond to leave the state Dec. 23-31. Booth said Englert planned to visit family and friends in Iowa for the holidays, as well as visiting his brother, who most recently underwent chemotherapy. Judge Timothy Kerns granted that request.